Feds to double number of international students

By Peter O'Neil. The federal government will outline plans Wednesday to double the number of international students in Canada by targeting China and other fast-growing countries, Postmedia News has learned. It is the latest step in the government’s strategy to inject economic development into the heart of Canada’s foreign policy. More diplomatic, visa-processing and marketing resources will be shifted to China, Vietnam, India, Brazil, Mexico, and the Middle East-North Africa region, including Turkey, in order to help recruit the world’s best and brightest, Trade Minister Ed Fast is to announce in Toronto. The goal is to boost the number of international students and academic researchers to more than 450,000 by 2022, which translates into a huge cash injection for universities due in part to the lofty tuitions paid by non-Canadians. More...